Continuing with
thoughts about mothers and motherhood—your mother, or the mother of your
children, or your mother-in-law, or a mother you know: Include details that
will make her unique, multi-dimensional, and memorable. (If you missed last Thursday’s post, click on Your stories about mothers and motherhood.)
Mary Larmoyeux shows us a clever way of capturing a mother’s essence by customizing the following
essay:
“Your mother is
always with you.
She’s the whisper of
the leaves
as you walk down the
street.
She’s the smell of
certain foods you remember,
flowers you pick,
the fragrance of life itself.
She’s the cool hand
on your brow
when you’re not
feeling well.
She’s your breath in
the air on a cold winter’s day.
She is the sound of
the rain that lulls you to sleep,
the colors of a
rainbow;
she is Christmas
morning.
Your mother lives
inside your laughter.
She’s the place you
came from, your first home,
and she’s the map
you follow with every step you take.
She’s your first
love, your first friend,
even your first
enemy,
but nothing on earth
can separate you—
not time, not space,
not even death.”
Mary paraphrased that quote to describe her own mother. Here are excerpts:
“My mother is…the
reminder that things work out.
She’s the smell of
sugar cookies…
and Sunday roast…
and the sight of
kneading bread.
She’s the hand that
picked Magnolias,
the sound of prayers
with Dad.
She’s the word of
kindness needed,
the trust that God’s
nearby….
She’s the place that
I came from, my first home—
one I’ll always
know….”
(Mary Larmoyeux, “Your Mother is Always With You.”)
Set aside a few
minutes to do what Mary did: Using the
original quote for inspiration, capture the essence of the mother you’re
writing about.
Was she refined and
elegant—or salty like Tugboat Annie?
Was she
boisterous—or mild-mannered?
Wild and
scatterbrained—or methodical and orderly?
Courageous—or
cowardly?
Haughty and
self-important—or humble and modest?
Self-absorbed—or
selfless?
Savvy, graceful,
strong—or uninformed, clumsy, weak?
Petite—or obese?
Did she have a sense
of humor—or was she clueless?
 |
| onewildword.com/2011/07/13 |
What were her
rituals, her habits, her hobbies, her quirks?
Did she have a short
fuse? A voice like an angel? A contagious laugh? A heart of gold?
What did she
believe?
What did she live
for?
Think about the
details the essay’s author used: “the whisper of the leaves,” “your breath in
the air on a cold winter’s day,” “the colors of a rainbow.”
And think about the
details Mary chose: “the smell of sugar cookies… and Sunday roast,” “the hand
that picked Magnolias,” “the word of kindness needed.”
Capture similar
details about the mother in your story. Make her come alive for your readers.
All of us have
stories about mothers
